Having conjoined twins is rare…only one in roughly every 200,000 pregnancies. But most of the time, they’re stillborn. So, for parents who have these special babies, every day is a blessing. Depending on the circumstances, including the body parts they share, some have a normal life expectancy.
New parents
For Bryan and Michelle Mirabal who live in Jacksonville, Florida, they were thrilled when their first son, Gage, was born. Since he was still so young, they didn’t plan to have more kids, at least for a while. Unexpectedly, Michelle became pregnant.
It’s twins
Having one baby so soon after Gage’s birth was one thing but now, they were having two. This couple was told at the 15-week mark during the pregnancy that they were expecting twins.
Excitement turned to fear
After the initial shock, Bryan and Michelle were thrilled with the news. But then, the doctors delivered a huge blow. These weren’t just normal twins…they were conjoined. That meant their babies would be born connected.
The reality of the situation sets in
Not only did the couple’s dream to wait about six years to have another child get dashed but now, they had something much bigger to worry about. Michelle’s sister-in-law, Jasmine, stated that “Twins don’t even run in our family.”
Fearing the worst
Most conjoined twins don’t live, often not beyond the 32-week gestation period. So, Bryan and Michelle knew their chances of both babies being born alive were slim. Even so, they leaned on their faith, prayed a lot, and put the situation in God’s hands.
Moving forward
With death almost imminent and so many uncertainties for those who live, a lot of women choose to end a pregnancy like this. But this husband and wife took a different route. They hoped that somehow, their babies would make it. To give them the best chances possible, doctors ran multiple tests while she carried the twins.
Welcome to the world
Back on December 12, 2014, Bryan and Michelle’s two boys were born. Both Carter and Conner beat the odds. Upon birth, the doctors confirmed these babies were omphalopagus twins, meaning their bodies were connected from the sternum to the lower abdomen.
Additional findings
Along with that, Carter and Conner shared a small intestine. And while they had their own livers and bile ducts, those too were fused. The good news is that of all the types of conjoined twins, this was the most common. Ultimately, that would make separating them possible.
Becoming individuals
At only five months old, surgeons were able to successfully separate the two babies. Although that was fantastic news to the parents, these boys still had a long way to go before the doctors would consider them safe.
Going home
Following their major surgery, as well as spending time on feeding tubes and ventilators, the day Bryan and Michelle had dreamed of finally arrived. Carter and Conner would get to leave the hospital and go home.
Reaching more milestones
Recently, the couple provided the world with an update on their boys. For one thing, they’ve grown substantially. But they also just graduated from kindergarten. Most families wouldn’t be so excited about this but for Bryan and Michelle, the boys’ graduation was nothing short of a miracle.
Considering so many people have shown interest in how Carter and Conner are doing, the couple started a Facebook page. There, they post regular updates along with photos. These two boys are thriving and extremely happy. Even with the odds against them, the Mirabal family never lost sight of hope.
To learn more about this amazing journey, we invite you to click on the video below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Source: Inspire More, Facebook, YouTube
